Shyne Factory, the power pop group from Halifax, are the perfect blend of many things. They are equal parts crunchy chords, rhythmic basslines and driving drum kicks. They are equal parts music lovers and ambitious entrepreneurs. And they are, first and formost, equal parts identical twins Mike and Matt Johnson and best friend Shawn Scott. Combine all these elements , shake over ice and go get blasted off the new drug called Shyne Factory. In 1992, after releasing a couple independent cassettes and garnering a notable home fan base, these three then-high-school-students began their trip to the top. The band's first album, Candy Coated, supported by incredible sets at the International Pop Overthrow in Los Angeles, South By Southwest in Austin, Canadian Music Week, and North By Northeast in Toronto, brought Shyne Factory widespread acclaim and a feature track on Popcan, a compilation CD of Canadian pop music. Their follow up release, Lava, was recorded with Laurence Currie (Sloan, Gandharvas) at Idea of East Studio in Halifax over the spring of 1999. The album's first independently produced video, I'm Not Sorry, was applauded by Much Music, who not only gave the video prime time spins, but invited Shyne Factory into the environment for an interview during Canadian Music Week 2000. I'm Not Sorry received coast to coast college radio play, and HMV, Canada's largest record store chain, chose Shyne Factory as the only independent band to be featured in their HMV Exposed campaign, giving Lava national distribution, press and publicity through extensive television and print advertising. Single number two, Bring Me Down, was awarded Videofact funding which allowed Shyne Factory to shoot its video withToronto's Blackwalk Productions.The video, modeled after Nintendo 64's Goldeneye game, has attracted an unbelievable amount of attention from gaming websites and print magazines alike (including the international publication N64 Magazine), sending thousands of new-found fans to www.shynefactory.com to download the video. On top of regular Muchmusic rotation, the single became the featured track on the Indieblast 2000 compilation CD, and was used in the national "I am Canadian" advertising campaign for Molson Canadian. Their exposure to Canada and the world is soaring with driving press and publicity, including a recent performance on CBC's Jonovision and feature articles in numerous weeklies across Canada and the nation's music magazine, Chart. Their success has put Shyne Factory on the road for most of Summer and Fall 2000, which has included opening slots for The Guess Who, J. Englishmen, and a special opportunity to play with Our Lady Peace in Ottawa for Canada Day. The touring and recording continues, as Shyne Factory prep themselves for what's to come- their faces on the cover of Rolling Stone, gigs with The Foo Fighters and The Police, wrecked hotel rooms, endless groupies, and all that comes from working hard at this thing they call rock and roll.
words by Brendan Murphy